Mexico Pounds US Soccer

Today the United States soccer team took on Mexico in the Final of the Gold Cup. Although the game was played in New Jersey, the atmosphere was more like Mexico's famous Azteca, as roughly three quarters of the seventy thousand fans were Mexican supporters.
The game started off cautiously, typical for most finals. When the US wasted a few chances from set pieces in the first 15 minutes, Mexico reacted well through Giovanni Dos Santos. Possession was mostly back and forth in the first half, but with very few chances. Any goal appeared most likely to come from a set piece. Mexico substituted Bella for Medina at halftime, and it was clear they meant to make an impact on the game in the second half. Sure enough, the first goal came from Mexico from a set piece when Jay Heaps grabbed Dos Santos shirt in the box for a penalty kick. Goals change games, and afterwards the US was determined to equalize. This left them weak at the back, however, and it was soon floodgates open for Mexico. Troy Perkins made three or four good saves before Mexico outnumbered US defenders around the six yard box, and Mexico was up 2-0 four minutes later. Then, in the 67th minute, Mexico made it 3-0 on a play from SuperSub Bella. In the end, it was 5-0 and Heaps had picked up a red card.
Overall, it was utter defeat for the US, and a famous victory for Mexico. They defeated their biggest rival and ended the US massive home undefeated streak. However, it has been a good summer for the US team, making the final of two major international tournaments, but winning neither one. This should be a good lesson for them, as they have a World Cup Qualifier against Mexico next month away from home. Ultimately, a good showing in the World Cup is the goal, and the last two months have gone a long way to help that happen.